Update on Farmers rally

More than 700 farmers under the banner of Bhumi Bachao Andolan along with people from different movement and support groups including Jan Sangharsh Vahini, National Alliance of People’s Movements – Delhi, Bandhua Mukti Morcha, National Domestic Workers Union, National Workers Federation, National Kisan Mazdoor, Jhuggi Jhopari Kalyan Morcha and Delhi Solidarity Group participated in a rally which was from Rajghat to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The women farmers from Kanjhawala, Tikari Kalan, Tikari Khurd and from Puth Khurd came in large numbers and they demanded to return their land which was acquired by the Government for industrial purposes. The farmers are not ready for any compensation and they are happy to work on their ancestral agricultural land.

After paying tribute to the father of nation Mahatma Gandhi the farmers began there rally and shouted slogans like “Kisanon ki Pushtaini Zameen Vapas Do”, “Zameen Adhikaran Kanoon Lagoo Karo” etc. The rally was joined by eminent social activist Medha Patkar. Walking down from Rajghat to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the farmers were stopped at Jantar Mantar and they did a sit in there and had a public meeting.

The Public meeting was addressed by Eminent Journalist and Human Rights Activist Shri Kuldip Nayyar, as he said the government has no rights to take away the land of the farmers from them without consulting them and if the farmer is willing to give his land then only the government can take it and this is what the new Land Acquisition Act says, he also encouraged the spirit of the farmers and had asked them to continue with their demands until they are meet.

The Women Farmer leaders Smt. Kalavati and Smt. Nirmala Behn also mentioned that whatever may be the reason but they will not give up their struggle until their demands are met.

Joining to the voices of the mass Medha Patkar also referred the Kanjhawala struggle with Nandigram, Singur, Chengara, Sonbhadra, Jharkhand and many other areas where land is being forcibly acquired, she also mentioned that forceful acquisition is wrong.

Bhupendera Singh Rawat of Jan Sangharsh Vahini said, our constitution says India is a welfare state but the government policies seem to be contrary to the same. It reflects in the policies of land acquisition of the farmers whose fertile lands are being acquired at the throw away prices without ever seeking their consent to hand it over to greedy industrial houses. Similarly, in the name of beautification as well as development and extension of Delhi as well as National Capital Region, the government is hell bent on land acquisition without caring for the future of both the farmers as well as the people living in the resettlement colonies as well as slums. With the Common Wealth Games round the corner to be organized in the city in 2010, the authorities did not care to speak to the people before acquiring the huge track of agricultural land and demolishing virtually 1700 years old villages of Kanjhawala, Tikari Kalan, Karala, Tikari Khurd, and Puth Khurd where it has acquired over 1500 acres of land on a price which is much below the market rate.

Similarly, the government is now planning to dislocate thousands of people from resettlement colonies, and slums in Delhi to hand the land over to industrialists and capitalists to develop shopping Malls, arcades and hotels for the tourists. Mr Rawat mentioned that today nobody is secure in Delhi whether it is the land of the farmers which they had been tilling since 1700 years or the dwellings of the workers which they developed after their hard earned money.